Student’s Corner: L’appel Du Vide

L’appel du vide, roughly translated to “Call of the Void,” is a French term used to describe the genuine, human feeling to make an impulsive move that will, quite frankly, kill you. An example, according to betterthanenglish.com, is when a person is standing at the top of the building and has this unexplainable urge to just jump off. It’s an odd and partially unexplainable phenomena that I’m sure you have encountered at least once in your life. This is the random, genuine notion to just opt for the most dangerous, and easiest, way out of living, when given the opportunity.
This impulse may also extend to the endangerment of other people. In a recent Youtube video titled “Psycho Thoughts” by internet blogger Daniel Howell (alias “danisnotonfire), Dan talks about this complicated power we seem to have forgotten we possess. He says, “You realize in that moment that you have power over life and death.” Such neurotic impulses may even explain many crimes, such as stealing, killing, or other immoral acts. Our brains are wired to use only ten percent of its conscious capacity, the other percentage hiding behind a screen, unknown and rarely shown. The odd phenomena that our minds are capable of being so impulsive is a fearful thought, because what actually is the human nature? Who are we, as people, both controlling ourselves and also acting on impulses and responding to the “void?” Our lives are so fickle, at times, that one forgets where he or she stands in the whole entirety of the universe. What is woman or man, but an impulsive brain that acts accordingly in society, then thinks about taking that one step to following the force of gravity head first?